West Academia
by Kirei Ryuusei
Summary: Ava Grace O'Brien starts school with her brother, Austin, at West Academia. And with paranormal activity running rampant as well as the "high school experience" their memories are bound to be unforgettable! Apart of the the Academia series!
1. Briefing: The School in the Desert!

_Kirei: I can't believe I'm hitting the nails into my virtual coffin._

_O'Brien: Kirei, why are you insistent on worsening your situation?_

_Kirei: Uh…cause I'm me? That and when I was asked, I just couldn't say no. It's too fun an opportunity._

_Anyway! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or else the I would've made a plotline that made sense! I also do not own all the OC so a thanks goes out to ThunderousViktory-the person that makes West Academia possible-Lady Harkness, Oak-chan, and my cousin, Miyazaki the Midnight Swordsman. But it's not too late to accept more OC! I'll tell you how at the end of the chapter! _

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

"Sand. Sand. Ooh~" the other passengers in the dune buggy glanced at the me. I flatly continued, "More sand."

Inaudible sighs escaped from everyone. We've rode in this thing for almost an hour now. This may sound like an easy trip but try enjoy being a car while cruising through dunes at over 38 degrees Celsius (1)! Though I'm accustomed to the heat, does not mean I enjoy it.

"Gracie, there is no use in complaining," I was chided from the other occupant of the backseat with me: my brother Austin. He's my twin, only older than me by 14 minutes. However, we were like two sides of a coin-absolutely different yet always together. That's why he's the only one that can call me 'Gracie' instead of Ava Grace or Ava. I leaned back against the seat when slobber was slathered onto my cheek. I wipe at the drool and pat my pet tiger, Aerynn, on his head. Austin was right, I _shouldn't_ be complaining since _I_ was the on that volunteered us for the assignment.

A beeping was heard. My parents and Austin glanced at the device on their wrists. When they found it wasn't theirs, I glanced down to see my wrist gadget, the Weapon And Tool Compression Holder (WATCH for short), beeping. I clicked a button and a projection of a girl around my age with turquoise hair and bright green eyes was shown, "What's up Ava. Arrive at your school yet?"

"Hey Jazz," I greeted. "I'm not there yet. Still riding in the car with the family."

Jazz, short for Jazzlyn, waved, "Hi Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien and Austin too. Well, neither am I but we're close…I think."

"_Jazz, c'mon it's nearing the briefing meeting," _a voice from her background chided. I could see a boy a near mirror image of Jazz on the screen. I waved, "Good to see you too, Johan." the guy was closer in range, "Oh how's it been, Ava? I heard you're going to West along with Austin. I hope it goes well for you both."

I smiled, "I could say the same for you too. After all I'm not the one going to live in the Alps."

"It beats the Sahara, I'd fry. Good luck." he laughed. Both waved before cutting their connection. Johan and Jazzlyn Andersen were twins like me and Austin. We along with others are apart of an international organization known as Echo. Those of us that work under Echo are called PAD, an acronym for paranormal anomaly detectives, and investigate the supernatural. You know things like werewolves, vampires, or zombies.

However, Austin and I have been put on a special assignment from the higher ups. Though technically neither of us are qualified to be full-time PAD, as one of the highest ranked cadets we were asked to go undercover at one of the Duel Academia branches. While we would attend West Academia, other high ranked cadets would be at the sister schools.

West Academia, according the files we received, lately has been vandalized with strange hieroglyphic markings around the school. Normally, we wouldn't delve too deep into it however the glyphs have been causing commotion as they are spells. These spells have caused numerous problems such as bizarre weather, strange sicknesses, unexplainable sights, and 'hauntings'. When there's occurrences like that, well…it's not exactly a call you can ignore. From what I hear, it- like all of the Academia worldwide -is located in a remote and weird location: the Sahara Desert (actually it's borderline between it and a jungle terrain but still). I also was informed that the school is much like a military academy, a perfect fit in my dad's opinion.

The heat waves squiggled about as I saw a patch of red then yellow and finally blue. At first I thought it was a trick of the heat and imagination. However it proven to be no mirage as the sigh began to expand further and start to form a cluster of buildings. I leaned out the window and cried, "Finally! The oasis in the desert!"

Yes, at last, we've arrived to what would probably be the most exciting experience yet-West Academia.

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

_Kirei: Yes it's short but that's how all my prologues are._

_Ava: Actually, it's because she's still hoping for more character submissions._

_Kirei: Oi vey, another one that doesn't care to keep my secrets~_

_**Authoress Note:**_

1) Um, I live in America, where I find us to be a bit…weird. As far as I know a lot of other places in the world use Celsius so that's what I'm going with. For those of you that use Fahrenheit, Ava Grace was saying 'it's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit'.

_As for those that would like to be in the story. I have a profile sheet to file out and sent via PM. You can make your characters as interesting or strange as you like. Seriously. It helps me make some insane ideas. Insane ideas= interesting plot and faster updates._

_**Profile Sheet**_

Name: Ethnicity: Deck:Appearance:Gender:Personality:

Special Conditions (medical, mental, etc.):

Interests: Dislikes:Dorm (Osiris, Ra, Obelisk):

History:


	2. Mission 1: Orientations and Introduction

_Kirei: Wah, I can't believe that I'm updating this fanfic this fast._

_Austin: I think it's because it's the new story shock._

_Kirei: Probably but let's not let it get in the way. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or all the OC but the plot is mine._

_**Reviewers Response**_

_ThunderousViktory:__ Thank you and here's the next chapter._

_Faith Princeton:__ And you shall see more of it._

_Oak-chan:__ I don't think Ava will…but Austin…that's another story. _

_Ticki-Tavi-Tovo:__ Thank you, thank you it's great to have you on board._

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

**(West Academia)**

The buggy stopped outside the entrance where many other all terrain vehicles were parked with people milling about with luggage and other personal items. I glanced about happy to be out of the dune buggy and incredulous at what I was seeing, "Are all these people really going to school with us?"

"I don't see why you're so shocked, you had thousands of classmates as a cadet," my dad replied as he and Austin unloaded our bags from the trunk. I crossed arms, "Yeah, I had thousands but it's not like I met most of them. I only know like 8."

My mom elbowed dad in his side, "Dyami, don't be like that, I think it's going to be a good experience for them both. It allows them to have fun for once like I don't know, party or get a girlfriend/boyfriend."

Both Austin and I knew mom was joking but dad seemed to be rethinking sending us here. Austin's his perfect little soldier and well I…I'm daddy's little girl. I think you know where the conflict comes in. I hugged his waist (since that's all I can reach) and assured, "Daddy, we won't go nuts, promise."

He still appeared incredulous but decided to let it go. As he grabbed the last bag, Aerynn hopped out the buggy and nuzzled my leg, "No. Aerynn can't go with you. He'll scare the other students."

I glanced around at other students. Some had snakes around their necks. There were a few carrying animals hidden in their bags. Hell, some students were _riding_ their animals around the campus. I looked back at my dad, "Somehow I think Aerynn will not be a problem. Please, dad? I won't let him attack the students or get into the pantry or make a mess."

"No."

"Father, I don't see why Gracie shouldn't. After all, Aerynn is the type of protection she could use. If we _are_ investigating something that is malevolent, I think having some physical deterrent would help in case she is attacked," Austin reasoned with him. I was about to tell him that I didn't need any protection when I figured out what he was doing- playing on his 'daddy's little girl' weakness. Oddly enough, dad fell for it. Score one for brother. Mom hugged us both, "I'm so proud that you're both going off already."

Dad shook his head, "Leona, you act like they've already graduated. It is only the first day. Now you two straighten up." Both of us stood at attention. He looked at us in the eyes and in a drill sergeant manner, "I expect you to show why you are the top dogs of battle and…" he softened, "take care of yourselves and each other. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," we chorused. We were hugged once more before our parents were in the buggy. I waved before they were driving off like all other parents. Teachers began to call order and bark out instruction to their new pupils. We were crowding towards the auditorium (probably the only place that could hold all the students) for orientation and a chance to eat together.

A dark-skinned older man with graying locks and a grandfatherly twinkle in his brown eyes walked onto the stage. Austin told me he was the headmaster. He took his time adjusting the mic and looked out into the sea of faces that would be his students, "Hello. First off I would like to congratulate you for arriving, the desert is blistering and the jungle is quite damp. I see a few of you itching from the bug bites already."

Breaking the ice, Headmaster managed to get some of us laughing, "Second, I would like welcome you to our fair school. I am the headmaster, Zareb Conteh, and I look forward to guiding our new faces and continue to reach our returning students. Here at West Academia we are more than merely students and faculty, we are like a family. So allow me to begin our staff to you. We have…"

The introductions went on for a while. I tried absorbing all the names and faces but I've never been good with them. My brother on the other hand had studied each teacher's name before we came here. Finally, I think it was winding down when Headmaster Conteh, "Lastly, I would like to introduce our Head Professor, Ms Epperson, and our Vice-Principal, Professor Cobra."

Ms. Epperson was really pretty. She had reddish-brown hair that was choppy and had skin that was dark like mine. She also had vibrant violet eyes that would remind any kid of their mother. Honestly, if it weren't for the title, I would mistake Ms Epperson as one of the students with the black belly shirt and white jeans along with those brown boots. Besides her was a man that really fit his name. Professor Cobra was a man with hair that spiked in an odd way. He was built like a body builder in disguise with eyes true to his name were snake-like. He creeped me out as he looked like he was examining a new load of guinea pigs. I shuddered, _Note to self: Stay away from Professor Cobra._

After the orientation, we were given dinner to commemorate our first day. From what I learned, this would be the only meal all the students would have together until the next orientation. How sad…I glanced about and noticed all the groups of students that formed based on their common language and rank. I didn't know where to go. We didn't arrive early enough to just sit around and meet new students also Austin and I could speak all the languages they were speaking. My eyes wandered back and forth with Austin not caring where we went.

CRASH!

I looked to see the source of the noise. There was a guy with a mess of dark hair on the ground with food spilt all over the ground. He didn't seem fazed by the fact his stuff was on the ground nor the person standing over him. There were two guys that were snickering about his fall, "Hey, look what your clumsiness has done. My shoes are all dirty, clean them off."

"You clean the mess?" a girl walked up, helping the boy off the floor, "since you're the ones that decided to spill it in my way."

The two guys asked, "Who asked you to interfere, ya broad? This ain't your business."

"Dealing with stupidity is my business," her orange eyes seemed disinterested. "so I will ask are you going to clean it up or do I have to put you in your place?"

"C'mon Gracie, we don't need unnecessary trouble," Austin lightly nudged me away but I didn't move. I had no intention to jump into the fight right then, yet I was interested in this girl's statement. She said 'stupidity' but it was an accident, right? Back with the tense situation, an- what I assume -upperclassman intervene. His glasses shadowed his eyes as he told the trio, "You all may be new to the school but know fighting on school is prohibited. We don't need trouble on the first day, correct, Brandon?"

The girl, Brandon (more than likely her last name), made a 'tch', "Of course, Mr. Upperclassman. That's why we should settle it how it would be in West. With a duel." the students muttered about. This would be first duel of the year. From behind I could hear one of the teachers ask the highest authority present, Professor Cobra, if they should intervene. He replied, "No, I think the students should learn that in this school even accidents can cause get one in trouble with an animal that bares its fangs."

"A duel?" both guys echoed. She smiled, "Yes. A duel with you both. A duel with a bet. When I win you will clean that entire mess and until our graduation kiss my feet and call me your master every time you see me as repayment for embarrassing my fellow Osiris. If by the below zero chance you defeat me, that is your decision. To make even fairer, I'll take anyone as my partner, how does that sound?"

Nearly everyone was incredulous when she made the proclamation. She said she was an _Osiris _challenging who were probably ranked higher than her. People around backed away, not wanting to get involved with such a boisterous person. However to me the proclamation made her whole reason make sense. The girl wasn't trying to stir up a fight, she was admonishing two guys that had harassed a boy in the same position. Normally, I wouldn't care to get into a fight but it was a free opportunity to meet an interesting person. The duel was an added bonus. Austin seemed to notice the glint in my eyes, "Gracie…"

Ignoring his warning tone, I called out, "I'll be your partner then! And I'll also bet as well."

"Eh?" both guys looked at us as if they were crazy. Then they appeared to digest the terms if they won. Their minds appeared to wander. Those happy dreamy look in their face disgusted me and the orange-eyed girl. Apparently, my brother noted the looks as well. Ooh~ I should feel bad that they'll be getting a scare later tonight, "Deal."

"Duel!" all the students cried.

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

I pointed out to the duo's only remaining monster and cried, "Siren of the Sea, attack with Tempest's Hymn!"

A sound wave reverberated with the duel monster's voice. It spread to the boys' defending monster, Big Shield Gardna, and shattered it. They braced themselves as their life points dropped from 2100 to 1600. It was duel with both partners take their turn as one unit. The girl and I stood at 1800 and Valisa still had yet to attack.

"Hook Swordsman, Tiger's slash!" the girl declared her monster to assault. It obeyed its master's command and launched a direct attack on the luckless boys. Once the solid vision made contact, their life points dropped to zero. The holograms disappeared and the girl stood before them, "Remember our deal. Clean up like good little boys, alright?"

"Y-Yes."

She pressed, "Yes what?"

Humiliated and defeated, the duo responded, "Yes…master."

Satisfied she turned from them and walked over to me, "For someone I've never met, you're pretty good. A water deck? Interesting…Let's have lunch together. I'm Valisa Brandon by the way." she greeted. I smiled, "Ava Grace O'Brien and thank you."

The boy Valisa helped came up, "I knew you said you were good, but I didn't expect that, Valisa. You too, Ava Grace." Valisa looked at him, "Don't get too happy. You're apart of the problem, Trenton, letting yourself get bullied like that. You're paying for our lunch."

"Eh? What's wrong with yours?"

"It's cold by now so you owe us," she pointed out. Trenton didn't complain and went off. I sweat dropped as my sibling came beside me. I sidestepped, "Oh Valisa, this is my brother, Austin. I hope you don't mind if we both join you."

"Not at all. Nice to meet you," she said, shaking hands with us both. What a way to meet…

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

**(Obelisk Girls Dorm)**

"I'm serious, Aussie, I don't need you walk me to my dorms," I told my twin with him ignoring my comment. He was carrying my bags though I insisted he didn't need to. It was also unnecessary to walk _with_ me. What was I, five? Reluctantly, we walked until we were outside the door of my room. I turned to him, "And you're not going in to traumatize my roommates. I can handle myself."

"I know you can, Gracie, but I fear the company you keep. Like that panther you dueled with earlier today," he commented. I punched his arm. Austin had this habit of classifying people's personality as a certain animal. And whenever he called someone a wild cat or reptile, it usually meant he didn't trust them. I retorted, "That's rude, Austin. I'm going in now so you head to your room and I will talk to you later, okay?"

He embraced me briefly before walking away. I giggled to myself. He's like dad in more ways than one. Taking out my key, I unlocked the door. Inside was a combined living room and kitchen. To the left and right were small corridors with doors on either side of the wall- the rooms-and one at the end of the hall-the bathroom. All the doors were shut so I couldn't tell whether they were occupied or not. So I guess I would have to knock to find out.

I reached out to one door and was about to knock when the door opened. In the opening was a boy. He looked like he hadn't seen the sun in ages with hair that nearly match his pale skin. Yet his red eyes contrasted sharply with the rest of his facial features along with all the black he wore. I was about to question why he was in the girl dorms when he stepped past me, "Please excuse me. I'll be outside to walk you to class tomorrow, Kam, alright?"

No response came yet he understood and left without another word. The door was left open so I stood there and saw the real occupant of the room, "Uh, my bad, I was looking for whichever room was open. So I guess we're roommates? I'm Ava Grace."

Her lips moved but I could barely hear her say it. I apologized and asked her to repeat it again. This time she said a bit louder, "Kamryn…"

"Mom! No more! I'll take care of it now, just leave me be!" an exasperated cry came from across the room. Gracie turned to bump into someone. The person put their hands on her shoulders, "Sorry, didn't hurt you did I?" I looked up and saw the Head Professor, "Ms Epperson, uh…did I do something?"

She tilted her head slightly confused then understood, "Oh no, you're not in any trouble or anything, I was just dropping off something to my daughter. And you are…Ava Grace, correct?" I nodded, baffled how she knew. As if she knew my question informed, "Good, I thought studying those student profiles were all in vain. If I can ask you favor, Ava, could you watch over my daughter to make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble?"

From the room emerged, Ms Epperson's daughter. She didn't really look like her mother as her hair was black not brown and she was shorter. Her bangs covered her left eye which was violet. She also was in nearly all black with the exception of a lilac vest, tan boots, and a hat on her head. That and there was a Golden Crown snake wrapped around her neck, "I don't need someone to watch me, good bye and good night, mom."

The teacher was shooed from their room as my other roommate slid down against the closed door in relief, "Finally…she's gone." Her violet eye met my gold ones, "Oh hi there. You're Ava Grace, right? I was wondering if you'd show up. Shame, I was hoping that that Sonia would have her old room."

"Uh, sorry?"

She meddled with her pet snake, Sonia, as she laughed, "Just joshing with ya, mate. Ryleigh's the name, hope I didn't get on ya bad side." I pretended ponder, "I don't know…I might just hold it against you."

Ryleigh snickered, "Then I better sleep with one eye open."

A door from the other hall swung open, "I hear fighting words, who's throwing the first punch? Aw~ You were just joking? Damn…"

"And you are…?" I questioned. She turned to me, "Soo Yun Lee, and you would be?"

"Your new roommate, Ava Grace." Already the first meeting and I could already feel, we would be good friends.

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

**(Obelisk Boys Dorm (Austin's POV)**

I arrived later to the dorms than the others so I wouldn't get my choice of a room-not that it mattered to me. My mind went to the day's events and I sighed. I couldn't understand how Gracie could act so friendly towards complete strangers. Especially people like Valisa. She, my instinct told me, would be a bad influence. A lot about her screamed 'delinquent' though, I would admit, she and Trenton appeared to be knowledgeable at duel monsters. Maybe I should duel them sometime to better understand them.

Sunset was in the distance. I better get settled before it starts freezing. Taking my new key, I unlocked the door. Inside piano music could be heard from someone's music player plugged into speakers. In the front room, like the girls dorms, had the joint dining and living room. On the couches were my roommates.

"C'mon, surely you have something harder, Jerald-san," one of the guys asked in a gentle manner. The boy was tan with brown hair with a red streak in it. He was also had red eyes which were lax with assurance. Remembering my research on my roommates, I figured this was Kyler Tsukiakari and he was talking to Ket Jerald, 'Mr. Upperclassman' as Valisa called him. Beside him was a silverish-white haired male with icy blue eyes. He seemed a bit pasty, probably from a lack of sunlight. I noticed a glint of light from his ear when I notice a stud earring. And this was Alton Alptraum. They seemed like they had been there for an hour or so.

"How about this one? The power is out and three men are struggling to get around. They go up 10 flights of stairs then fall down 3. Then they go up another 4 but fall back 9. Next the three go back down 2 but then march up more. Finally they reach three doors and they all go through a different door. Behind door number one is a hungry lion. Behind door number two is an electric chair and behind door number 3 is an armed firing squad. Only one man survives. How does that happen?" Ket questioned. The other two looked exasperated, "I thought it was actually gonna be hard."

"I agree, a bit disappointing," Alton quipped. I heard the riddle and couldn't comprehend the answer so how did two of my roommates manage to solve it so easily? "Kyler, would you like to solve this one?"

The said teen shrugged, "The man that went through the second door because the power is out so the electric chair doesn't work."

"Damn, what are you some geniuses?"

Kyler shrugged again, "Not really, I do that stuff between novels." Icy blue eyes met mine. A smile was directed toward me yet I felt a deceit behind that grin. "Hey you two, we're being rude, ignoring our last of roomies. You wouldn't be Austin O'Brien, would you?"

I shifted, "Yeah, that's me. And let me guess, you're Alton-"

"Actually _strongly_ recommend that I be called Alta," he continued with that smirk but I could feel the slightly malicious tone on the remark. I ignored it for the time being as I continued, "-Alta, according to Alta you're Kyler, and based off what Kyler said, you must be Ket."

"Correct," Kyler replied. "Pleasure to meet you, Austin. Welcome to the Nerd's Dorm, hope our dry interests don't embarrass you."

He was clearly being sarcastic. Though I with the riddle solving it wouldn't be a far cry from a 'nerd's dorm'. However, I believed they were…different from what someone typically thinks of a nerd. They were normally very socially awkward (I remember trying to interrogate one…that didn't work out), obsessed with something in logical fields, and really neglectful in their appearance. Yet none of them seemed that way. They were…normal, in a sense, and better yet they were not obnoxious. Maybe I could just get used to this dormitory living.

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

_Kirei: And the chapter has been completed! Yay! It was so hard trying to get all the characters in here and I still missed one or two. Damn~~_

_Ava: You did your best, Kirei._

_Kirei: I guess…anyway, this was just an intro of all the OC that have been submitted. I had an awful lot of Obelisk. I mean seriously, if I didn't have my OC there would be no one in the Osiris dorms! But c'est la vie. Till next time, ja ne!_


	3. Mission 2: First Night on the Job

_Kirei: What rush! New faces to manipulate and recreate! I have even gotten the storyline for some of the OC down already! Some…I'm still trying to get there. It's not that your characters are dull, it's just that when I read personality, appearance, and history sometimes my mind instantly perceives a persona or being that fits with them. Trust me, I only just figured out all the stuff that happens with the North Academia kids with room to flourish! Don't worry, I'll have these charas have equal footing the others!_

_Austin: You're rambling, Kirei._

_Kirei: Oh right! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX nor all the OC (duh!) but I do own the plots!_

_**Reviewers Response:**_

_Oak-chan:__ She's definitely a character_

_Faith Princeton:__ And you shall!_

_Luving Randomness:__ And you certain changed it a lot. So much I made them two different characters rather than getting rid of one._

_ArrowTLC7:__ Yes. The nerd room. As for being an upperclassman, yes, yes he is. Though Ket isn't the only one that's an upperclassman in our West Academia gang._

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

**(Off Campus West Academia)**

Sneaking out of the West Academia campus was fairly easy. That was probably because there was no other place within 10 miles of the place. If students really wanted to sneak off to have fun, they'd have to steal a vehicle or take an animal. Both ways were simple to track, maybe that was why security was so lax. Either way, I could leave my dorm without a problem and meet up with Austin. He told me we needed to at least see what the glyphs looked like as well as greet another PAD joining us on the West Academia campus.

I walked through the sand, careful to mask my tracks as I headed to the jungle terrain located to the south of the school since it was the only place that our comrade could arrive without arousing the Academia. Austin waited near the edges, leaning on a tree. Aerynn was at his side until he saw me. That was when Aerynn tackled me, glad to be back in his company. I laughed quietly, "It hasn't even been a whole day and you already miss me?"

"That let's you know that you're spoiling him," my brother chided with my response as sticking my tongue out. I rubbed my pet's thick fur as I glanced around, "So where's our other classmate? I thought they would've came earlier."

Austin shrugged, "I was informed that she was arriving late because was finishing a mission dealing with some shaman disputes in Angola before arriving here." I wondered, "It's a she?"

"And you know her," he admitted. I whined, "Tell me who she is, Aussie." The smirk on his lips told me he wasn't going to say a word. I huffed as I tried to figure out all the girls that I knew, "Uh…Isabella? _(silence)_ Valencia? _(still silence)_ C'mon Austin, give me a hint!"

"No."

"Jerk," I said, "Um…Alex? Lore? Tamara? Istas?"

"At this rate you'll go through your whole contact list," a voice said from behind me. I whirled around to see a girl. Her pale skin look like it would fry in the Sahara sun while her black hair was up in two ponytails. Her violet eyes were unreadable though I figured she was joking. I glomped the girl, "Cynthia, it's been a while! Though I thought you would've gone with your 'little siblings' up at North."

Cynthia laughed, "Ah, they're at that time that they wanna do everything themselves. Trent and Danni told me to back off when it's like that so I figured I'd let them have their fun."

I know it sounds weird for someone that looks as young as Cynthia to talk like a grown woman. Well, that would be because she _is_ an adult by human years. She's about 30 years old but looks like she's only 15. That would be because she is a vampire that was 'adopted' into the Andersen household. Though apparently she had to let her 'siblings' grow up so she was sent here. Probably because we're the only people she knows out of the cadets assigned to the Academias.

Austin cleared his throat, "Not that I'm not glad that you're here Cynthia, but could we get to our mission?"

"Way to be a mood killer, bro," I said. "but you're right. So Cyn, since you were busy, we're investigating the hieroglyphic graffiti that has been appearing at random places around the campus. Though I don't know how we're supposed to find whoever's responsible."

As if my thoughts could be heard the sound of aerosol cans clinking was heard. We crouched into the bushes/ducked behind the trees, watching for the shadows to move. Surely we saw six shadowy forms dart in the darkness. I heard the spray paint cans again. I signaled to Cynthia and Austin, _What's the plan?_

He answered back in sign language, _Cyn will flank them and we trap them between two of the buildings._ We waited to where the group was engrossed in their vandalism, then made our moves. Moving without making a sound, Cyn made her way around the building while me and Austin confronted the graffiti 'artists'. They turned, surprised and tried to run the other way. However they were blocked in.

Knowing they couldn't get out without a fight, the cloaked people stood in a circle with one of them in the center. They recited something foreign even to us PAD. The center person glowed and became larger and more feral. In my training (and common sense) that's a bad thing. They snarled before lunging towards me and Austin.

With our training, we tucked and rolled out of the way. Austin tackled the person by the waist to pull them onto the ground. While this happened, the other five made a break for freedom. I managed to catch one by their cloak, but they unhooked the cloth from their neck and dashed into the night. I cursed as I wanted to follow them but couldn't when Cynthia was thrown onto me. Both of us were temporarily disoriented so I was seized by the beast that the group had made.

_WHAP!_

The figure's face meet my brother's fist. He was not amused by me being manhandled. While Austin was keeping whatever that was distracted, me and Cyn both did a leg sweep to trip them. My brother struggled to remain on top of the thing. Cyn dove for the legs while I went for the arms. The person flailed under our grip while Austin aimed a punch at the diaphragm to knock all the air out of the person. With the beast unconscious, they reverted back to human. We all sighed in relief. I commented, "What the heck was that? I haven't seen that kind of spell before."

"That probably means that it's forbidden," Austin noted as he examined the person-a boy-that he knocked out. He most likely was identifying him (since he has photographic memory) and hoping he didn't bruise or break anything internally. While he was doing that, I retrieved the cloak I managed to pull off while Cynthia looked at what they were creating.

I was shaking off the sand when something fell onto the ground. It was a card, Black Jinx. I hadn't heard of it before as I examined the picture. It looked like multiple circles overlapping with three ellipsis jointed together. It looked like a legitimate spell circle. Maybe it had something to do with the students. I put the cloak under the my arm, "Anything?"

"Whatever spell they were making. It's complex. I mean, I've cross-referenced them with ones in the databases and I'm pulling up nothing. It's either a new seal entirely or one that's obscure. It'd take a lot more research to find out about it," the vampire reported. Austin said, "He's an Obelisk with a clean record. I see no reason he'd to something like this though my guess is that it wasn't his choice."

I glanced at my WATCH, "Well, don't think we'll get any farther out investigation tonight. I'm ready to book it, but what are we gonna do about this guy?" to answer, Austin put the guy over his shoulder, "He's on the way to my room. I'll take him back. You guys get some shut eye and I'll see you in the morning."

"Will do," I said, happy to be done for the night

_**~~~~~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~AllHailEccentricness~~~~~**_

_Total bleh chapter. I needed to write something until more ideas came to me. I've been flat since I've been doing late night games of Halo: Reach. That and I'm trying to do an approach I didn't do with North: introduce the set up for the next major arc which is…um…I'll get back to you when I think of it. _

_Hey, do you think I should do openings and endings with this one or no? Got an idea or something that you want to see in the chapters? Let me know! I write this to please those that read it! _

_Um…I think that's it…? So~~ till the next update! Ja ne!_


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